Trinity County News 2

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Trinity’s Juju Clayborne (No. 2) picks up some yards during the Tigers’ Homecoming game on Friday. The Tigers were edged out 29-28 on the night. Photo by Tony Farkas.

By Scott Womack

TCNS correspondent

TRINITY — The Tigers celebrated Homecoming Friday night against the Elkhart Elks, and took the field with a passion that left the fans happy.

The Tigers were able to move the ball at will against the Elks, but penalties and turnovers kept them out of the end zone during the first half. The defense had its best first half performance of the season by limiting the Elks to 14 points and keeping the Tigers within striking distance to take the lead.

The Elks started the third quarter with the ball and drove the ball to the Tiger 33-yard line when Kaden Barnes intercepted a fourth-down pass in the end zone and set up the Tiger offense on the 20-yard line. The Tigers were able to take nine plays and march down the field and score their first touchdown of the game off a 24-yard screen pass from Cole Caldwell to JuJu Clayborne. 

The Elks were able to answer on the first play of the fourth quarter and take a 22-6 lead. The Tigers next drive took just two plays a 69-yard run by K.D. Goodall set up Andrew Crabtree for the 6-yard touchdown run. Trailing by 8 points, the Tiger defense forced the Elks to punt the ball back to the Tigers. Six plays later, Clayborne broke free for a 10-yard run to tighten the score to 22-20 with 6:57 left to play.

Again the defense came up with a stop on the Elks and forced a punt. Taking over with 2:42 left in the game, the Tigers needed one score to take the lead and four plays later, Goodall broke free for a 33-yard touchdown they gave the Tigers their first lead of the game with 1:41 left to play. 

The Elks took over on their own 25-yard line and using all three of their timeouts, were able to get the ball to the Tiger 36-yard line. The Tigers were able to force incomplete passes and a run for no-gain and set up the Elks with a 4&10 from the 36-yard line with only :28 left to play. The Elk quarterback was able to find an open receiver in the end zone for a game tying touchdown. The extra point kick became the deciding factor in the game as the Elks were able to win a 29-28 nail brighter as the clock wound to zero.

An emotional Tiger team met after the game as Coach Patrick Goodman expressed how proud he was of the effort put forth and stressed that turnovers and untimely penalties were the deciding factors in the game.

The Tigers will travel to Palestine Westwood Friday Night, kickoff is set for 7 p.m. 

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A Longview man was killed in a three-vehicle collision on Highway 94 near Groveton./COURTESY PHOTO

TCNS staff

TRINITY COUNTY — The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a fatal crash involving three vehicles that occurred Thursday on state Highway 94 near Groveton.

The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 6:05 a.m. on SH 94 approximately one mile north of FM 3317, a 1995 Chevrolet pickup was traveling westbound on 94, followed by a 2017 Dodge Ram pickup.

Reports indicate that a 1989 Mack truck tractor semi-trailer hauling logs was pulling out from a private drive to travel east.

The driver of the Mack failed to yield right of way, resulting in the Chevrolet and the Dodge striking the trailer being towed by the Mack, the report states.

The driver of the Chevrolet has been identified as 47-year-old Vernon Groze of Longview. He was pronounced deceased on scene by a Trinity County Justice of the Peace.

The driver of the Dodge has been identified as 38-year-old Bradley McMullen of Kennard. He was transported to Crockett Medical Center for treatment.

The driver of the Mack has been identified as 54-year-old Richard Ellis of Corrigan. He was not injured.

The investigation is continuing.

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House ProposedBy Tony Farkas
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AUSTIN — While San Jacinto County retains its representation in the Texas Legislature, population changes in the state means changes to district boundaries.

Rep. Trent Ashby of Lufkin still has House District 57, and Sen. Robert Nichols still represents the county from Senate District 3. However, the borders of those districts will look different, should the Legislature approve the plans.

Ashby’s district as it stands now is comprised Angelina, Houston, Leon, Madison, San Augustine and Trinity counties. Under the proposed plan, the district will be redesignated 9; Leon County will become part of a recast District 13, and Madison County will become part of District 12, currently represented by Kyle Kacal.

In his column of Oct. 7, Ashby said that while he was pleased and excited about the new House district, but was disappointed not to keep Leon and Madison counties after months of advocating for them. 

He also said that he intends to run for re-election in the new district. 

“For now, the proposed map will go through the public hearing process and be subject to amendments, both in committee and on the House floor, before we know for certain the makeup of our legislative districts for the next decade,” he said.

On the Senate side, District 3 is currently comprised of 18 counties, of which San Jacinto is one, and part of Montgomery County. The proposed plan will move Houston County into a neighboring district, and swapping with District 4 the part of Montgomery County for a portion of Jefferson County.

There are 31 Senate Districts in Texas, and based on the 2020 Census, each district must have a population of as near 940,178 people as possible. For the House, there are 150 districts, and each district must have a population of as near 194,303 people as possible.

According to the Texas Legislative Council redistricting website, the federal constitution calls for redistricting of congressional seats according to population following a Census. Reapportionment is the allocation of a set number of districts among established units of government. 

On April 26, 2021, the United States Census Bureau reported results of congressional reapportionment from the 2020 Census. According to these results, Texas will add two new congressional districts for a total of 38 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 118th Congress.

Senate ProposedThat redistricting will continue down to any entity, such as city, county or school board, that elects representatives based on districts.

Before elections are held under the new districts in counties that are split under the newly adopted plans, counties and the SBOE must change their voting precinct boundaries to conform with the new district lines.

The state constitution requires a candidate for state legislative office to have resided for at least one year before the general election in the district the candidate seeks to represent.

Redistricting bills follow the same path through the legislature as other legislation. Congressional and State Board of Education (SBOE) district bills may be introduced in either or both chambers; senate and house redistricting bills traditionally originate only in their respective chambers. Following final adoption by both chambers, each redistricting bill is presented to the governor for approval. The governor may sign the bill into law, allow it to take effect without a signature, or veto it. If the house or senate redistricting bill fails to pass or is vetoed and the veto is not overridden by the legislature during the first regular session after the census data is released, the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) is required to meet. If the congressional or SBOE bill fails to pass or is vetoed and the veto is not overridden, the governor may call a special session to consider the matter.

Enacted redistricting plans or those adopted by the LRB are filed with the Texas secretary of state. The plans adopted, in most cases, become effective for the following primary and general elections, subject to any judicial action if a lawsuit challenging a plan is filed.

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By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — An office swap proposal for officials of Trinity County met with some opposition Friday, but ultimately was approved by the Trinity County Commissioners Court.

County Clerk Shasta Bergman and her team, as well as the voluminous records the office is required to keep, will be moved to an office in the annex across the street, one currently occupied by Elections Administrator Priscilla Rasbeary and 911 Addressing Coordinator Jolynn Wars.

Elections and 911 Addressing will in turn be placed in the office on the second floor of the courthouse, currently occupied by the County Clerk.

The reason for the moves is the files and record books the Clerk is required by law to keep, namely dealing with real estate, are heavy and causing weight stress on the courthouse’s second floor.

The offices in the annex are on the ground floor.

The motion passed, with Commissioner Tommy Park voting against it.

In other business, the county:

• Appointed Lawrence Adamick as Precinct 1 Constable, replacing Jeremy Alexander, who resigned during a previous court meeting citing pay;
• proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month;
• proclaimed October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month;
• gave annual approval to the county’s investment policy;
• approved budget amendments that will finalize spending for the previous fiscal year;
• approved the sale of a 2021 Mack truck through the company’s buy-back provision for Precinct 1, and early buy-back of a 2022 Mack truck for Precinct 4;
• approved bids on tax resale properties;
• approved leasing three vehicles for Sheriff’s Office; and
• hired Southern Style Home Investors to replace flooring at the Groveton Community Center.